NHTSA Complaint #10948672 — 2011 BMW X5

I AM REQUESTING AN EMERGENCY RECALL OF MY AUTOMOBILE. WHEN CROSSING THE GANDY BRIDGE OVER TAMPA BAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, MY CAR EMITTED A VERY LOUD BANG AND A RAPID SERIES OF SHAKING AND EXTREMELY HARD KNOCKS. THE CAR LOST POWER, SMOKE BILLOWED OUT THE BACK AND I SAW A STREAM OF OIL IN THE MIRROR BEHIND ME. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OUT OF THE TRAFFIC LANE. THE PROBLEM, I HAVE FOUND, WAS THAT THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT FAILED DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE UNIVERSAL JOINT. WHEN IT FAILED, THE SPINNING PARTS CRACKED OPEN THE TRANSMISSION CASE, THE OIL PAN AND BROKE SEVERAL NEARBY PARTS. THE EVENT OCCURRED ON A LONG BRIDGE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY. THE FRONT END OF THE SPINNING DRIVE SHAFT BROKE LOOSE AND FELL DOWN, PARTS WERE EJECTED ONTO THE HIGHWAY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS CRACKED OPEN AND ALL TRANSMISSION OIL DISCHARGED ONTO THE BRIDGE. HAD THIS OCCURRED, FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE PASSING ANOTHER CAR ON A TWO LANE ROAD, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS, PERHAPS FATAL ACCIDENT. THIS VEHICLE, FROM PRODUCTION DATES BEGINNING APRIL 5 2011, WAS OFFICIALLY RECALLED IN MAY 2016 FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN MARCH, 2011, A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE APPARENTLY ARBITRARY RECALL DATE OF APRIL 5. I NOW FIND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIMILAR FAILURES, WITH PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTIONS EXACTLY LIKE MINE. THE BMW RECALL NOTICE, WHICH I DID NOT RECEIVE BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED, STATES THAT A VIBRATION WILL BECOME NOTICEABLE, AND, IF IT FAILS, POWER TO THE FRONT WHEELS WILL BE INTERRUPTED, BUT THAT THE REAR WHEELS WILL CONTINUE TO WORK. THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. THE TRANSFER CASE HAD TO BE REPLACED IN MAY 2016. UPDATED 03/07/17.*JB